Individuals living in present day society are frequently surrounded by devices that allow communication with others from nearly any location, with these devices or other devices also being able to gather large amounts of information relating to the activities and movements of the user. A user may carry a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, and a number of wireless telephones have such receivers built in. A user's home may include various sensors and devices that may be monitored by the user's personal computer, and which may compile significant information about the state of the user's surroundings that can be provided by the user.
Many individuals spend considerable time alone and engage alone in numerous activities, and nearly every individual spends at least some time alone. Everyone is subject to danger of one sort or another, whether from crime, accident, or sudden onset of illness, and in many such cases, rapid assistance is highly beneficial.